PRESENTATION
MATTERS
Most of us have probably walked into a café or restaurant at some point in our lives, looked around and then walked back out again because it didn’t “feel right” or look appealing. Fortunately for us, we have that choice, but at school, students who opt-in to school meals do not. The impact of our surroundings cannot be underestimated when it comes to encouraging positive behaviour, so to engage students, operators must think outside of the kitchen, examining all aspects of the dining environment.
WALK IN YOUR CUSTOMER’S SHOES It is easy to forget that the customer is not just the school, it is also the children, so start by viewing your dining hall from their perspective and walk the floor at breaktimes. Make a note of how students approach the canteen asking yourself; what’s the first thing that greets you? Is the environment visually stimulating from the onset? Are the kitchen assistants engaging with the kids? Is the queue
“The dinner ladies at our school always say hello AND ASK US RELEVANT QUESTIONS.” Ciaran, age 14 16
orderly or is it a bundle? Do children get split up from their friends? Systems and processes that may have been put in place to ease congestion or improve efficiency could be just as off-putting as a grey dreary building that looks more like a borstal than a canteen providing a nourishing meal. By viewing your canteen through the eyes of the pupils, you will get a better understanding of what they find easy to navigate, what can be improved and where the pinch points lie, sometimes small changes such as introducing cashless payments, reassessing the position of drinks stations or alterations to how children are met and greeted can have a big impact.
CREATE A WELCOMING ENVIRONMENT If children feel uncomfortable or disconnected with their environment, they will want to be elsewhere, resulting in partially eaten or rushed meals that negates the hard work put into your meal planning and cooking. While you won’t want children to languish in the dining hall, they need to be encouraged to eat, so making the environment a more sociable place by allowing those with packed lunches to sit and eat with their friends who use on-site catering, means that they can all concentrate on eating properly without feeling as though they are missing out. Assess every detail and determine what can be improved – does your serving hatch look functional and uninviting? Are your trays, plates and cutlery chipped or plastic and worn? We have seen some fantastic interior designs emulating trendy cafés or street food stalls, complete with names such as “The Snack Shack” or “Fresh Bites,” injecting life to the canteen and making students feel as though they are in a more grown-up environment.
